Liberation
by BloodRavenFan
Summary: Our friend Louise Cypher meets with Altrouge Brunestud and her pet dog. What could he be seeking? Side-story to Sakura: The Light of Change. One-shot.


Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, names, and any copyrighted material used in this work. This is a fanfic, period. Everything belongs to their respective owners. Comments and constructive criticism are all very much appreciated.

A spin-off of my other fanfic, _Sakura: The Light of Change_, this takes place in Germany even as the Fifth Holy Grail War rages on the other side of the globe.

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"_Your heart longs for a kingdom of freedom, a world with no set future…the kingdom you seek promises nothing but suffering. Its sole fruit is ruin."_

_Kagutsuchi, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne_

"Hello there." A man's voice said from behind them as they walked down a woodland path in the night towards a sleepy little village in the German woods; just another routing culling of the troublesome Humans to keep things in balance. Altrouge Brunestud turned her head and looked over her shoulder in surprise, with her 'partner' doing likewise – normally their combined aura was enough to subtly persuade other beings to stay well away.

The sight which greeted them was quite abnormal, to say the least: a pale-skinned man with blonde swept back hair wearing a neatly-pressed black business suit. His mismatched eyes and faint, somewhat apologetic smile did little to suppress the faint sentiment of apprehension his presence sent through her – despite appearances, this man was no man.

"It's a fine evening isn't it? A bit too cloudy for my tastes though...if I remember correctly, you two are Altrouge Brunestud and 'Primate Murder', am I correct? That last one is a rather brutish name though…albeit strangely fitting for a mindless puppet not even worth pitying." He said, as though merely continuing a long-overdue conversation.

Altrouge narrowed her eyes before saying "You seem to know us quite well…and yet you haven't introduced yourself; not all of us are not as well-informed as you."

"Oh please accept my apologies!" The man replied with a look of shock on his face. "I was being rather rude, wasn't I? My name, Ms Brunestud, is Louise Cypher."

"So, how may we help you, Mr Cypher, if that is even your real name?" Altrouge asked politely, all the while tensing herself for a surprise attack; this man may not be Human, but between her and Primate Murder, there was no force on Earth that could match their power, not even her treacherous sister.

"Well, for starters, I'd like for you to stand down and allow me to deal with that brute to begin with. After that, we can talk some more – I have great respect for your abilities, and they are wasted on the puppet-like tasks you carry out all the time." Cypher said affably, his smile turning vicious.

"I see…I'm afraid I'm going to have to refuse." Altrouge replied…and simultaneously attacked, lashing out with her claws and with her eyes glowing red and her veins distended with raw power. Cypher dodged the attack nimbly enough, losing his smile and taking on an expression of faint disappointment. Despite her opponent's surprising agility, she pressed on with her attack, lashing out repeatedly…only to be increasingly frustrated as Cypher continued to dance his way clear of her attacks. "_Bastard…he's just playing with me! Just what the hell is he?_" she thought angrily to herself.

As if reading her thoughts, at that moment Cypher spoke up, saying "It seems that you are just as brutish as that rabid dog you keep as a pet." As he said this, he ducked and sidestepped a surprise attack by Primate Murder, before clenching a fist and punching the Beast of Gaia, sending it flying and displacing the air with such force as to cause shockwaves. A few seconds later, a mountain a short distance away trembled as the creature finally stopped its forward movement. "That should keep it busy for a while." Cypher commented deadpan, stepping back and avoiding a jump kick from Altrouge; grabbing her leg as she flew by, he slammed her into the ground with enough force to crater the ground several meters across. "That was fast…" he said, even as he blurred and vanished, reappearing on the far side of the crater and spoiling the Beast of Gaia's attempted counterattack.

As Cypher looked on impassively, Altrouge got up on her knees, coughing up blood and holding her side with an arm. Beside her, Primate Murder snarled angrily at Cypher, its jaw battered and the side of its face matted with blood where the man had struck it. "Look at you…" Cypher chided as he shook his head in a disappointed fashion. "…you are nothing like your sister. She is a True Ancestor, and yet she is not a True Ancestor. Not anymore in any case…she is a Human now, and yet she is not a Human. A mix of paradoxes and yet that is precisely why she shines like the brightest star, burning bright with the light of freedom."

"Don't give me that crap." Altrouge spat out. "We were born to protect nature and to hate and destroy Mankind, yet she chose to become a whore to one of those fallen Humans. Worse, she chose to accept and share in his fate, becoming divorced from her true self."

"That was her choice. And choices are the essence of freedom."

"Freedom, you say? How typically Human…such arrogance to think they can break the grand design of creation and go beyond their assigned lot in life. And that is why we were born: to keep them in their proper place and maintain the balance of all things!"

"I see…so be it then." Cypher said coldly, looking down on the two of them. "I was hoping to end this in a less brutal fashion, but you leave me no choice. The plan has come this far…I have no love for Humanity, but I will not abandon them. Their freedom will be the catalyst to create a universe of infinite possibilities, worlds with no set future, free existences."

"That freedom will bring nothing but suffering and destruction! I cannot allow you to do as you please!"

As though let loose by those words, the Beast of Gaia bounded forward into the attack, only to stop a few inches before Cypher, frozen in place by the man's gaze as he looked deep into Primate Murder's eyes. "Yes, perhaps it will…but perhaps it will not. That is the great part about freedom…one can never truly tell how things will turn out. Beautiful, isn't it? As for you, brute; I cannot destroy you…or rather, it's too soon for me to do so. If I destroy you now, then the backlash will kill Gaia, decimating the Human race, leaving the survivors at the mercy of the Great Ones of this corner of this universe. But…" Pausing, Cypher spread the fingers of one hand, forming an intangible cube with a glowing sphere at the centre. "…I can seal you away, such that by the time you awake, the Humans will have reached the point that not even the Guardians of Akasha can hope to stand against them. And then you shall have an end to your puppet's existence. Until that day, rest in the silence of the void."

At that, Cypher sprang back, throwing the cube which expanded as it flew through the air towards Primate Murder, encompassing the beast and immediately its intangible walls turned black before the whole thing imploded, imprisoning the Beast of Gaia until the appointed time. Before Altrouge could respond verbally to the sight, Cypher was behind her; striking down with his fist, he literally shattered her back, paralyzing her and causing her to scream in excruciating agony. Her eyes flared bright red as the Crimson Moon began to manifest, before a soul-crushing pressure descended upon her, snuffing out the being's presence.

"No…I will not kill you. Instead, I shall grant you a gift, Altrouge Brunestud." Cypher said, stepping back and extending an arm, levitating her broken body and slowly turning her to face him. "I shall restore your flesh, and grant you the greatest gift of all: freedom. No longer shall you be bound to the will of Gaia or to any of the Great Ones. From now on, you will be free to do as you wish." After saying this, Cypher stabbed his hand into her chest.

Pain…excruciating pain…it was the only thing she could comprehend at that instant as she screamed like she had never screamed before, as her soul was disassembled and reassembled simultaneously and her very origins were altered to an entirely new form. At the same time, her body rebuilt itself, healing itself of the damage caused by the battle even as her 'self' was remade. Finally, as the pain reached new heights, she lost consciousness and fell into the silence of oblivion.

When she came to, she lay prone on the ground at the bottom of the crater. Her body hurt all over; looking up, her eyes fell upon Cypher. The man smiled and said to her "Our business together is concluded for now…though I doubt your fellow Dead Apostle Ancestors will welcome you back into their presence after you received what I have given you. The Church and the Association…well, I'm sure you know the welcome they will give you if you go to them. If you seek guidance as to what you should do – freedom is quite unsettling to those used to a puppet's existence – go and see Zelretch, or perhaps your sister. I'm sure they'll be willing to help you get used to your new existence. Perhaps we will meet again, or perhaps we will not. Farewell, Altrouge Brunestud…enjoy your new life, for you are now free."

As Louise Cypher walked off humming softly to himself, Altrouge curled up on the ground, holding herself tightly with her arms. She felt so _Human_, so wrong…and as the rain began to fall, the woman who had once looked down on Humanity did something so Human: she began to cry.

* * *

_Narita International Airport, Tokyo, Japan_

Arcueid Brunestud looked out past the vast glass windows, her crimson eyes questioning. "Hey, what's wrong Arcueid?" asked her husband as he walked back to her.

"No, it's probably nothing. Just a strange feeling that's all." She said, smiling in a reassuring fashion.

Ichigo Kurosaki just looked at her with a raised eyebrow before sighing in response; whatever it was, he had no choice but to trust her for now. There was nothing wrong with that; he'd done it before, and he would do so again in the future. And she would do the same if she were in his position.

"Come on, let's go. I'd rather not be late."

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A/N

Don't bash me if you don't like it; no one's forcing you to like it after all.

By the way, as to why Louise Cypher did what he did, he did it to keep the Humans advancing. Primate Murder and the True Ancestors/Dead Apostles keep Humanity in check by routinely culling them...Lucifer needs Humanity's power unchecked if he is to 'free' the universe. Make no mistake; he has no love for Humanity, but he needs its power to accomplish his goals.


End file.
